Some Things Never Change
by CalebWinters
Summary: Artemis Fowl II has just been revived and is currently recovering: and although their biggest threat has been effectively terminated, that doesn't mean the Fowl's are without enemies. A ghost of little Arty's past has come back to haunt him, and they have a new player on the board. Bundle up, chaps, it's cold in Russia. [Artemis/Holly]


**Hello fellow book nerds, after a few years of composition education, I have returned to this wonderful community. I doubt my name is familiar to anyone but to any old readers of mine who are still following, I used to go by ArtemisXHolly159. Cringy, I know, I was 14. Anyway, I have already deleted the old rendition of this story and plan to start anew. Forgive my inconsistency to update but I promise, I will do my best. Other than that, I welcome my new readers and hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

A rather disoriented Artemis Fowl II sat atop a centaur's back and was told the tale of fantastical adventures he had supposedly experienced with them by an elf who claimed to be his good friend. Although all of what was explained seemed much _too_ fantastical to have really happened, he didn't deny the authenticity of it once. He asked appropriate questions at correct times and one of the three would briefly answer. They reached the back door of a large manor as Holly, whom he'd learned was the elf's name and Butler (his apparent bodyguard) went inside first to gather the heads of the house whom he was told were his parents.

Artemis Fowl II was left outside, straddled across the centaur's back and conversing with him, learning his name among other things. Foaly. Anyone who saw the two would surely have mistaken reality for a dream but luckily, it was early in the morning and the people who tended to one of the several plots within the grounds were fast asleep. As it turned out, so were Artemis Senior and Angeline, however they both knew Butler would not wake them unless there was good reason.

It took but five minutes for the boy's parents to be ushered into their son's old study, the bodyguard rushing back downstairs and opening the backdoor, gesturing for them to enter. "I've moved them to the study. Whenever you're ready, Artemis."

For some reason, the newly resurrected boy felt a pit of nerves in his stomach. It was a strange feeling but among the feelings of mild anxiety, he also felt excitement in his chest. He was about to see his hopefully familiar parents again. Though he knew he would have no memory of them, the gravity of the situation was palpable. The clouds were heavy in his genius mind and all three of his friends were hoping seeing his parents would at the very least lift a few of them.

Butler helped Artemis off Foaly's back and steadied him until he found the strength to stand on his own. Slowly, they guided him through the unfamiliar manor until they reached the staircase, large steps intimidating his newborn foal-like legs. The boy looked back at the group whom he'd been told were his friends and they all gave him an encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, Artemis made his way up the stairs with Butler's guiding hand on his back just in case. His throat was growing dry and his palms were sweaty against the wooden railing. At the peak, there was a slightly parted wooden door that stood directly in front of them, light sneaking out from beneath it. The young Fowl heir paused momentarily to compose himself before he was given an encouraging but gentle push. Artemis stumbled a little but eventually steadied himself against the doorframe, turning around to give the guilty elf an expression that said 'really?'. Holly only smiled and gestured for him to keep going, the boy sighing and turning his attention back to the situation at hand. After taking a moment to compose himself, Artemis wrapped his pale fingers around the door knob and slowly pushed it open, the light from a rather bright desk lamp blinding him momentarily. When his vision cleared and adjusted, he saw two somewhat familiar faces rubbing the sleep from their eyes and sipping twin cups of what he could only assume was coffee.

"Butler, why must you wake us so early? Couldn't this surprise have waited until morning?" asked Angeline groggily.

Neither had turned towards the door, both taking a special interest in what was in their mugs and so that was where their attention laid. Artemis spoke quietly, his tongue not under his own control as his own knowledge overshadowed his confusion.

"Technically, it is morning." Both adults immediately stiffened, turning their heads ever so slowly towards the voice. Artemis could see their shock and walked further into the room, his brow still furrowed to show his confusion. Both stayed absolutely still, eyes slowly welling up with tears as their dead son stood before them alive and completely healthy. Neither could believe this to be true, a moment of stunned silence falling over the study. Angeline was the first to come back from her state of disbelief and made her way towards the ghost of her son. Her shaking hands lightly brushed Artemis's cheek and she let out a gasp when they touched flesh.

"Arty?..Is it really you?.." She spoke softly, afraid that if she allowed herself to accept what was going on, the mirage would disappear.

Although the confusion was evident behind his ocean blue eyes, he knew these people to be his parents and although their memory was hazy, emotions overtook his reasoning. The now young adult lightly took his mother's hand with an unsteady grip and nodded softly. "I'm back, Mother."

It was all the confirmation she needed and she wrapped her arms around the son she'd thought she lost and cried tears of joy as he had been brought back to her. The clouds in Artemis's mind started to lift, as expected, and the boy wrapped his arms tightly around the woman he now fully recognized as his mother.

Artemis Senior was still in shock, slowly standing from one of the cushioned chairs in the room and walking towards his wife and son. He too was on the brink of tears, hoping to whatever holy being was out there that this was not some cruel trick. He spoke, and his voice was quivering and cautious, the most vulnerable he'd ever heard his father sound.

"Son.."

Artemis II reluctantly broke away from his mother's embrace at the sound of his father's voice and turned to face him. He began to walk towards him slowly, for only the second time feeling like a child who simply wanted his father. As they made their way towards each other, Artemis Senior saw his son solidifying into reality and began to realize this was no trick. With tears now free flowing, he closed the distance between them faster than should've been possible with any grade of prosthetic and embraced his son tightly, holding him in a manner that said he would never let him go again.

Holly, Foaly, and Butler watched the reunion with joy in their hearts and tears in their eyes. Of course, Butler's eyes remained dry, being an expert at controlling his emotions. However, make no mistake, the bodyguard was just as affected by the emotional display as the others.

As they embraced, Angeline turned to Butler and the two fairies for an explanation. She was happy beyond belief, but it wouldn't seem real unless she knew how her son had come back. Holly explained that it was best to keep the means a secret for now considering the illegality of it all and Angelina nodded in understanding. Leave it to her very own son to succeed in resurrecting himself in ways less than legitimate. She leaned down and gave Holly a tight embrace to express her gratitude.

Over the past few months, Holly and Angeline had become very good friends. Angeline would be having a particular bad day thinking about what to do with Artemis's room and Holly would come to check in and help her feel better. She had always reassured her that Artemis was still here and that they would see him soon. She had made good on her promise.

"Thank you.." She whispered.

The elfin captain wrapped her arms around Angeline's shoulders gently and nodded softly. "I told you we would see him again soon."

Soon everyone pulled away and Holly walked over towards Artemis, addressing Artemis Senior and Angeline as she started to lead him out. "Artemis's memory is a bit clouded so he needs to rest and recharge. It could take a few days for him to recover from this temporary amnesia so we need to try not to pressure him into total recall. It will all come back to him soon."

Both parents nodded softly and followed the pair as Artemis II was lead into his old bedroom, still left untouched through Holly's persuasion. The boy genius moved over to his bed and sat on the edge staring at the people in his room strangely. They seemed to be waiting for him to sleep which he found awkward and uncomfortable. "I'm very capable of putting myself to sleep, there's no need to watch over everything I do. It's only amnesia."

They all gave a light hearted chuckle and one by one, they started to leave. Foaly was the first to leave, muttering a brief but genuine goodnight. His parents each placed a kiss on his forehead and did the same, slowly but reluctantly leaving the room. Butler lightly touched his shoulder, his version of a goodnight and walked out as well, leaving Holly the last one in the room.

Artemis's blue eyes turned to look at her, expecting something similar of a goodnight as Butler but she simply stood there. Her features were somewhat obscured by the darkness of the room but he could feel her gaze on him.

"I still can't believe you did any of that." She said finally. "When we first met, you were one of the most selfish humans I'd ever known. I guess you really have grown up."

The emotions in the room were thick enough that even someone as emotionally inept as Artemis could sense it. "I remember bits and pieces of that first meeting. I remember sitting out in the cold, huddled in somewhat of a ball. I remember the guilt and the look on your face. Most after that is just a blur."

Holly sighed. "You should get some sleep. You might remember more tomorrow."

The genius nodded and Holly, in a rare state of emotion hugged him softly and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm really glad you're back, Arty."

The simple gesture, coupled with everything that had happened since he'd been resurrected was enough to send Artemis back in time to another moment of affectionate emotion. A temporarily aged Artemis lay dying in the enclosure of an enraged gorilla. Blood dripped down his face from head trauma, and a number of broken bones poked out at different places under his skin, rendering movement excruciating. He lied there for several seconds, breathing shallow, painful breaths before felt the fingers of the beast wrap around his limp body and pick him up. His life flashed before his eyes and the guilt of lying to Holly and failing to save his mother weighed heavily on his soul. He would die with such regret, and soon his mother would too due to a disease he could've prevented.

Suddenly he heard the calls of yet another gorilla, the boy cursing his luck one last time as he felt death approach. It surprised him thoroughly and sent agonizing amounts of pain throughout him, when he was dropped to the ground and momentarily forgotten. He could see, through bloodied vision and swollen eyes that the sound wasn't coming from another Gorilla; it was coming from a girl whom he immediately recognized as Holly. Her and the Gorilla looked to be communicating and after a good while of loud howling and ridiculous gestures, the real Gorilla ran to the back of his enclosure, giving Holly the chance to rush over to Artemis's mangled body and infuse every drop of No. 1's infused magic into healing the massive trauma of the attack. The magic quickly engulfed his bleeding body, mending broken bones, healing skin, stopping internal bleeding. His entire body was beginning to completely reboot, hair and nails growing and shrinking, teeth chattering, muscles spasming. It went on for several seconds when suddenly, it stopped. Nothing happened for several more agonizing seconds in which Holly was sure Artemis had died. His exterior wounds had healed but he still looked like only a healthy corpse. Then, his mismatched eyes opened, fluttering as his system rebooted. The boy took in his surroundings before his gaze landed on Holly. He relaxed.

"Holly," he said once he found his voice. His smile was sincere and grateful. "You saved me again."

Holly was laughing and crying at the same time, tears spilling onto Artemis's chest. "Of course I saved you," she said. "I couldn't do without you." And because she was happy and flushed with magic, Holly leaned down and kissed Artemis, magic sparking around the contact like fireworks.

Finally, he returned back to the present, where his and Holly's embrace was coming to an end, the elf turning to leave. "Holly," he whispered before she could reach the door. "I couldn't do without you either."

Holly stopped dead at the words, turning to look back him. Artemis saw the hope in her eyes and nodded softly at the unasked question forming in her mouth. "I remember the gorilla cage. After you healed me and...well you know what, everything becomes blurry again."

The elf's cheeks tinted a light pink, though was thankfully concealed by the darkness that blanketed Artemis's room. Still, her features harbored a smile and she nodded softly.

"I thought my elf kissing days were over." Artemis spoke.

Holly actually laughed, the first time in six months. "Under the circumstances, I think we could make an exception."

With that, Holly walked out of the room, leaving the recently resurrected genius to sleep; and he did just that, dreaming of grand adventures.


End file.
